Book Club
Hosting a Cozy Book Club: An Old-School Library-Inspired Evening
Light, Fun, and Unputdownable: Summer Reads You’ll Love
Book Club Dinner Party Ideas: A Night with My Favorite “B’s”
I’ve been a member of a book club (The B’s) for many years now. While admittedly our members spend more time catching up and sipping wine than reviewing our latest title, I still absolutely love our time together. I love to read, but I’m certain I would never have ventured into some of these books had they not been recommended by one of the girls.
We meet every other month—life is just too busy right now for monthly—and rotate hosting dinner for the group. Recently, it was my turn to host, and I already had a vision of what I wanted to do.
Finding Inspiration in the Funniest Places
I grab inspiration in the funniest places, and believe it or not, these three small vases I’d found on sale at Michael’s were it. I loved the color and retro look of them and built my table around them. (While no longer available at Michael’s, I found these similar vases on Amazon in the same color scheme.)
Since I was hosting my fabulous B’s, I made Book Club my theme — and away I went!
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Small touches, Big Impact
When I’m planning, I try to find elements that nod to the theme without going over the top. Subtle details often speak louder than a table that screams “This dinner party is for BOOK CLUB!”
On Etsy I found these amazing custom library card bookmarks. I personalized each one with a members’ name as well as a short poem about their love of books. They were perfect as both place card and keepsakes to remember the evening.
I also discovered adorable Book Balls on Pinterest from old book pages — the perfect touch to set the mood. To make your own, click here for intructions.
I made mine using 1.8” and 2.8” styrofoam balls (two sizes add great visual interest) and a 2.5” scallop circle punch for the “book page pedals” all from Amazon.
DIY Book Balls: Crafting for the Literary Soul
I headed to my local thrift store and found an old book for about $2 — so this is a super inexpensive project. But what you save in money, you make up for in sweat equity. It is a little labor intensive, but so worth it.
It’s a perfect craft for binge watching something on Netflix. (I powered through Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story while making mine—highly recommend!)
Setting the Table: Cozy Meets Clever
To tie everything together, I found the last little detail — these darling embossed napkins I found on Etsy in coral, which went perfectly with my vases (a cheerful mix of coral, teal and yellow.)
Time to pull it all together…
Linens
- I used a white Turkish bedspread my mom brought back from her travels — heavier than a standard tablecloth and full of texture. (This one shares a similar vibe.)
I pocket-folded orange cotton napkins to hold the individual bookmarks.
Tableware
- Dining alfresco lent itself to using my playful, durable plastic dinnerware.
- Festive blue tumblers from HomeGoods (similar here) paired beautifully with my clear patterned plates (pretty sure they’re from Target).
- I filled 32 oz. glass bottles with cold filtered water — one at each end of the table to avoid refills. They’re great for iced tea, lemonade, even pre-made margaritas. Versatile and they look chic!
Everyday mix-and-match flatware kept it casual but polished.
Extras
- Natural woven placemats blended beautifully with two lanterns I scored on sale at Michael’s.
And of course — votive candles. Always and everywhere.
For a little extra magic, I glued fishing line to a few of the Book Balls and hung them from the pergola over the table. The rest were scattered down the center as part of the tablescape.
What’s on the Menu?
With the table set and the bookish touches in place, it was time to focus on the real star of the evening—the food!
I went for simple, fresh and easy—because honestly, who wants to spend the night in the kitchen when there’s laughter and wine waiting?
Appetizers:
- Charcuterie Board
- Chickpea Salsa with toasted pita wedges from Trader Joe’s
Dinner:
- Mixed Green Salad with tomato, cucumber, shaved carrot, avocado, grilled chicken and feta
- Dressing options: Balsamic Vinaigrette or Trader Joe’s Green Goddess
- Homemade Garlic Bread (dangerously good — I could’ve eaten this as my meal!)
Dessert:
This was the star of the show: Lemon Sorbet in Frozen Lemons — a Pinterest find from Prouditaliancook.com. It’s a make-ahead (a hostess lifesaver) and looks as good as it tastes.
An Evening to Remember
It was an evening of good friends, laughter and a little book talk…always a recipe for FUN.
Are you a member of a book club? What do you do to make your gatherings special? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
[Want some fabulous book suggestions for your next Book Club? Click on my My Top 12 Favorite Books Here!]
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